Golden
by everythingiaskfor815
Summary: Another mutant bird kid has grown up away from the flock, haunted by memories of her past. When they meet up by chance back at the school, she finds romance and a new family, not that it could ever last. IggyXGolden, bit of Fax. Bad summary but please R
1. captured

Golden POV

I hate school buses. Oh yeah, they're more environmentally friendly and whatever, but honestly, people, who wants to be stuck in an overcrowded, smelly, horrifically loud yellow box of doom. Well, maybe I'm over exaggerating, but school buses are not the best option for an overly claustrophobic mutant kid. Yep, I'm a mutant kid. Yep, I take the school bus. I'm in 7th grade at a normal middle school. Nope, nobody knows that I'm a mutant bird-human hybrid. I'm pretty good at going incognito. Every night I sneak out my window and fly around for a few hours. I normally get about 3 hours of sleep a night, and that's fine with me.

Today the school bus seemed even more annoying than usual. When it finally pulled up at the last stop, I almost jumped off it. I can't tell you how happy I was to get out of that tiny hellhole and feel the wind blowing my reddish-blonde hair into my face. I was just walking, listening to my little purple iPod, minding my own business. I even started humming along quietly with Hayley Williams' voice (yes, I love paramore). I was really happy, blissfully happy, like i very rarely am. But of course, right then, I felt a sharp pain in the crown of my head, and blacked out.

I woke up and blinked a few times, expecting to be in my bedroom. Instead what I saw were rows and rows of metal dog crates, like the ones I'd been kept in when I was little. A little too much like the ones from when I was little. I touched the back of my head. I felt the bump, and the swelling went down right away. I'm usually pretty good at keeping my cool, but my brain went into full panic mode. I started hyperventilating and my brain started short circuiting, just like our old TV that I "experimented" on. Let's just say I don't get to watch TV anymore. I tried to slow down my breathing. I thought about happy stuff, about snickerdoodle cookies and Canadian vampires, about live rock concerts and my gold tinted wings. I calmed down. Okay, now it's "put everything into perspective time." I am most likely back at the happiest place of my existence (note sarcasm), the school. Total hell. Not where anyone wants to be. At least I was still me. I was still wearing my chicly tattered skinny jeans and my All Time Low shirt (another favorite band). But of course, I was there. I was in the school. I swore under my breath.

"Hello!" a young, angelic voice said. "I'm Angel. Do you have a name?" I looked up at the cage next to me. A little girl of about six with little white wings and blonde curls was sitting there. I was taken aback. I guessed that she had been sleeping and I just hadn't noticed her. In the next cage was a tall, dirty blonde girl. She was asleep, like the African American girl in the cage behind me. Next to the tall blonde one was a dark, emo-looking boy. He was awake, but totally silent. On my other side were a really tall strawberry blonde boy who slept peacefully and another sleeping boy who looked a lot like the one who called herself Angel.

"Err…hi?" I said. I was still kind of surprised. "Umm, I'm Golden."

"That's a pretty name. These are Max, Fang, Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy. Gazzy's my brother." I was still pretty confused. Were they bird kids too? Why were they here? Or were they a trap?

"No, we're just like you. See my wings? I'm here, er, we're here because the whitecoats here want to sample our brains and stuff. They're the ones who send the erasers and stuff. They're the bad guys." Okay, if this chick could read minds, I was really freaked.

Just then, I saw the dirty blonde girl wake up.

Max POV

Okay. When I wake up in a small enclosed space, my first reaction isn't exactly to jump for joy. I'm a little more than a little claustrophobic. I looked around. Iggy, Gazzy and Nudge were still asleep. Fang was being all silent like he does, and Angel was talking to a girl. The girl looked about 12 or 13, with reddish blonde hair about the color of Iggy's and greenish-brown eyes .she looked nice enough, albeit a little confuse. Judging by her body structure, she could be one of us. Actually, I could see some red gold feathers in her cage. She'd probably tried to escape or something. It actually didn't seem like the worst idea right now.

"Oh, hi Max! This is Golden! She's like us too!" geez, she was cheerful. Iggy must have heard Angel too; since he blinked open his unseeing eyes.

"Ugh. Where are we?" he asked.

"Let's see. In cages, in a dark, antiseptic smelling building. We all feel like shit. We're covered in bumps and bruises. We're in the school. Where else?" That was Fang, confirming exactly what we all knew but weren't admitting to ourselves.

"Who's the new girl?" Iggy questioned groggily. Out of habit he started fiddling with the padlock on his cage.

"This is, erm, Golden. She was captured too." I was a little perplexed by all this. You know, being in the school again, the new bird kid, the huge bruise on my skull that I just realized I had.

"Um, hi," said Golden. She seemed just as confused as us, and a bit shell shocked.

"Ha! Got it!" Iggy crowed. He sprang out of his cage and started undoing the others. He game to Golden's last and she looked at him curiously.

"Introductions later. We get out now," I commanded. I loved the fearless leader thing.

"Wait! Your bruise!" she called. She came up and touched the huge purple spot on my forehead. The bruise immediately disappeared.

"Whoa! What happened?" Gazzy asked, mesmerized.

"OMG can you like, heal stuff?" Nudge said. Uh-oh. "Like how do you do that? You know I can like draw metal to me and hack computers and Gazzy can mimic voices and Fang can disappear and Iggy can feel colors and Max has this voice in her head and can fly super fast but that is like, OMG awesome and _mmmmfff_" I covered her mouth with my hand. Damn, that girl can talk.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Yeah, like it would ever be that easy. Of course they all followed me, but what if I didn't know what to do?

Golden POV

Well, this isn't overwhelming or strange at all! (Note sarcasm) Waking up to a bunch of other mutant bird kids who have this whole "flock" idea, a mind reading six year old, and a freakin' dog cage aren't exactly what anyone with a good view on life would consider right. Well, they seemed nice enough, and accepting enough. They'd been close like this for years, since they had been sprung from the school in the first place. Max was the leader. Fang and Max had a budding relationship, and Iggy and Gazzy were best friends, Angel was the baby, and Nudge was just that middle sister who didn't have an obvious role in everything but was clearly important. Damn it, how did I know this? I just met them for god's sake! I shouldn't know! But Angel had told me about how they were mutating themselves, developing powers. Could it be? I already knew that I could heal various wounds, but that's enough freakishness.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Max commanded. I wasn't sure how much I liked her. I was all for being led, but this wasn't exactly a democracy. It was more of a dictatorship, maybe a maxocracy. Haha…I'm such a joker. I just really hated people who were full of themselves. I did agree with her. I couldn't stand being in this place for much longer. And so, against my will, I followed her.

We didn't get too far, though, before we were assaulted by a band of erasers. I supposed they'd kept the old prototype to guard the school and let the m-geeks do the real stuff. I figured Max would want to get the leader so immediately I launched myself at the flanks. They were mean. Probably slightly improved since the last time I'd run into them. But I was pretty damn good. When I was younger and it was acceptable to do so, I'd spent a lot of time wrestling with the boys, and we got pretty brutal for 2nd graders. I still would fight occasionally, and a lot of the guys at my school were more than a little scared of me. Erasers were, however surprisingly, tougher than 7th grade boys. They hadn't bothered me much lately and I was a little out of practice.

When we'd finally gotten through the bunch, Max surveyed the flock and I. there weren't any serious injuries, only black eyes and bloody noses.

"Golden? Would you?" Max asked politely. I smirked. Yup, I can do it better than Max. I walked around quickly, healing bruises and cuts until we looked just about good as new.

"There you go, your majesty," I said cheerily. I noticed Iggy and Nudge break slight grins. Gazzy giggled.

"Let's go!" Max said, ignoring my comment. We left quickly. Max seemed to know her way around pretty well, and I wondered why. Oh well. I shouldn't be worrying about that. We were going to get out of there, and kick some eraser ass in the process.

We were winding through corridors, ducking away from various men in white coats. This place just made me feel like crap. It brought back some not so pleasant memories of when I was younger, before I lived in a normal town in a normal place; before I lived as a hidden entity. So far my life had pretty much sucked. I'd lived in the school, being experimented on, until I was about six. Then someone had let me out, and given me to a foster home in Colorado. I'd lived a pretty private life, and I'd kind of liked it that way. I kept my wings hidden all day and every night, once my foster parents were asleep, I would fly for a few hours. The hawks and ravens were my very good friends. I'd had a few good human friends, but most of them were a little messed up. At school, I'd always been very smart but shy and cynical, never a teacher's pet. So as I walked through the extremely sterile hallways of the school, I was wondering if I could possibly find a better life with the flock. They seemed nice, even if Max was a little stuck up.

"Maximum. I have not seen you in a long time," a deep male voice said.

"Jeb. We meet again," Max said, seeming less than happy about this encounter. The guy was tall, about 6'6", with a big, caterpillar-like mustache and a evilly paternal expression on his face.


	2. freedom?

**Sorry I forgot a disclaimer last time! I don't own James Patterson or anything related to maximum ride (sadly)**

Fang POV

Oh crap. Jeb. He was not the person I wanted to see here now. I just wanted to be out, free, flying. I thought desperately at Angel, telling her to make him forget, to let us pass. It would never work. I remained impassive, showing no emotion. Angel was concentrating, and the new one, Golden, seemed to be too.

"Up and away?" Max whispered soundlessly. I nodded imperceptibly, as did the rest of the flock. I unfurled my glossy black wings and we hurled ourselves at full force at the white ceiling. I could only hope that Golden had gotten the hint. Usually we could break through the ceiling, so I was pretty confident we could get out. My confidence was in vain, though. I crashed up against a pure stone ceiling. Jeb smirked down at me.

"I suppose there's no escaping now," he said coolly.

Just then I noticed Iggy toss something up at the ceiling. He donned his famous innocent expression.

"DUCK!" he shouted. I did. If he tells you to duck, you duck. Unless, of course, you want to get blown up. I didn't. We all moved under various pieces of furniture; lab tables, etcetera. All of a sudden a huge hole was blown in the ceiling.

"Up and away!" Max shouted. We all unfurled our wings and flew out of the hole. We were free, at least for now.


	3. raiding mcdonalds and cliffside campouts

No, I don't own James Patterson or Maximum Ride…thanks to Yreva13 and aclamon95 for reviewing/ faving. 3 to u both!

Golden POV

We'd just escaped from the school. My guess was we were somewhere in California, like Death Valley. It was wicked hot, but up here there was a nice, cool breeze.

"Yo, Max! Could we go raid that McDonalds? I'm starving!" Gazzy voiced just about my exact thoughts. Without answering she swooped downward.

"You got money? Cause unless you've got about a hundred bucks, you better be fine with dumpster diving," Iggy told me.

"Frankly, anything sounds good. I'm broke anyway," I replied. Time to go raid some fast food joint dumpsters. Yay.

"Ooh, I want that salad!" Nudge exclaimed. This dumpster was surprisingly well-stocked; full of leftover big Mac's and quarter pounders. Normally I would never consider eating at a McDonalds, but today, it seemed better than any gourmet meal.

A couple of quarter pounders later, we took off. Max and Fang found a good place to camp, and we settled down. I sighed. This was gonna be introduction time.

"So, Golden, like who are you? Like, I already know you're a bird-human hybrid, but, like, what's your favorite color? Where are you from? Why were you in the school? Have you ever been to, like, a normal school? What's it like? How do you heal stuff? Who's you_mmmmmmmmmmmmmmff_f?" Iggy covered her mouth with his long, pale hand.

"Um, I lived in Colorado. I was in 7th grade at a cool enough, albeit, kinda boring middle school. I was in the school until I was 6 then I was let out by somebody who I, um, don't remember," my voice faltered. I wasn't a great liar. "I really don't know how I heal stuff. One day I was kind of, like, attacked. I could've sworn I'd broken every bone in my body, but the next day I felt perfectly fine. From then on I just experimented, and now I've pretty much mastered it. My favorite color is purple. My hobbies include cynicism, sarcasm, guitar, music, and um, yeah," Damn it, I felt so talkative.

"Wow, like what do you play on guitar? I love music! Like my favorite singers ever are, like, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift, and um, like, The Click Five! What music_fffffffffffff_," Once again she was interrupted by a hand over her face. This one was Fang's.

"Give the poor girl a chance to talk, Nudge!" he scolded.

"No, really, it's fine! My friend back home was just as bad. I'm fine with it. I'm used to it," I reassured him.

"What's with that Jeb guy anyway? His brain was messed up. Mentally scarred. Like literally. There were scars on his brain,"

"Really? That's wild!" Gazzy exclaimed. He had been pretty happy ever since we'd escaped. I assumed he'd had a part in the bomb scheme.

"Nah, not really. He just had…wounds. It seems like something happened to him. Like he's sad," I said quietly. Gazzy's face fell.

"Yes, Gazzy and Iggy made the bomb together. They're quite the pyromaniacs," Angel said. Oh yeah, she's telepathic. I almost forgot! (note sarcasm)

"Bombs are my business," Iggy said wryly. He seemed like a nice guy. His eyes were pale, as were his skin and hair. I figured he was blind. Wow, a blind pyro and a mind reading 6 year old. What was my life coming to?


	4. remembering

Disclaimer: I do not own maximum ride or any related logos, songs, authors, characters….yeah

Golden POV

It was late, probably just after midnight. I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days. My life was gone, or at least my old life. In its place was an opportunity, but an unfamiliar, dangerous opportunity. It was still an opportunity I could take. I could see wounds, almost like I had x-ray vision. Ha ha. I could also kind of see the hierarchies of where people fell, how they were related, their friends and enemies. I also felt ten times better about life. I was here, I had come pretty far. Why not go a little further?

I was bored of trying to sleep. I got up and unfolded my wings, stretching them out. I sat down on a rock and watched the stars. There were so many stars, each one ever so slightly different than the next. I started humming a song, half singing, half humming.

"_Caught in a cold sweat,_

_Start splitting hairs, _

_Drinking too much_

_I'm on my way to second hell,_

_Fall asleep with the pressure of everyone_

_Watching and waiting _

_They're yours for the taking_

_But I still have my doubts,_

_I said before you ask which way to go,_

_Remember where you've been_

_Stay awake_

_Get a grip and get out _

_You're safe_

_From the weight of the world just take_

_A second to set things straight_

_I'll be fine_

_Even though I'm not always right, _

_I can count on the sun to shine_

_This dedication takes a lifetime_

_But dreams only last for a night_

_Well figure it out boy_

_You're slipping_

_So pull yourself together_

_Or you'll wash up like the rest_

_Cause this ship is sinking_

_I'm thinking I'm done for_

_Watch as the sails disappear underwater_

_Cause I'm no captain yet"_

(A/N: that's stay awake (dreams only last for a night) by all time low)

"Nice song. Can't sleep?" Iggy startled me out of my reverie. He was so quiet; I'd forgotten he was on watch.

"No…it's just a lot to think about. I had this whole normal life set out before me; go to high school, maybe college, get a job, maybe get married, die… you know? And then in about 48 hours, it's ripped away. Poof, it's gone. I can't say I don't like it. Human life is only for 98% of me," I said.

"Yeah, I get it. I mean, I've grown to live with it, but when I was 7, they "experimented" on me at the school. I'm now permanently blind. But I totally remember that feeling, like you're being ripped away from something you're stuck to…" he trailed off. "Well, what you think of the flock so far?" he asked. Haha, trying to make small talk. Deep conversations tend to end that way.

"I like it. You guys kind of remind me of my friends back home. Max is clearly the leader. She seems kind of annoyingly full of it, but it can only be expected. Angel honestly scares me somewhat. Has she ever shown a penchant for world domination? Or bombs?" I asked, half joking.

"Luckily, no. We keep a close eye on her. You're spot on about Max. As for the bombs, well, we're lucky she hasn't found our stash,"

"'We' as in you and the Gasman?"

"Hehe… yeah. What can I say? Pyromania is wonderful. Hey, that could be a bumper sticker!" I smiled dryly. I remembered my happy times as a juvenile pyromaniac.

"Well, Nudge is, well, a motormouth. I wonder how long she could talk without stopping…and Gazzy seems like a genuinely sweet kid with a soft spot for bombs and hazardous materials. Fang seems like that 'angsty, emo type' that all girls want but won't date. Kind of like Mr. Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice…and what's with him and Max? They obviously like each other a lot,"

"I know…they seem to think that it would mess up the flock. I guess romance just seems futile, when we're running from death half the time," he let this sink in. "Did you ever want to find your parents?"he asked, changing the subject.

"When I was younger, there was nothing I wanted more. But then, well I put things into perspective. I looked at how many cruel people there were in the world and how likely it was that my parents were among them. You?

"Yeah, and I found them. It felt like a dream come true…at first. But they wanted money. And I could be the source for that money. It was kind of a genius plan, I guess," I understood. My foster parents had tried that, but they'd gotten a little hehe, surprise, per se. I laid my head against his shoulder. His hair, which was almost exactly the same color as mine, fell across my head. I started singing again

_I said before you ask which way to go,_

_Remember where you've been,_

_Stay awake_

_Get a grip and get out _

_You're safe_

_From the weight of the world_

_Just take_

_A second to set things straight_

_I'll be fine_

_Even though I'm not always right_

_Dedication takes a lifetime _

_But dreams only last for a night_

_Believe you me_

_I'll give them everything_

_I'd tell them anything, _

_To show them everything_

_Believe you me_

_I'll give them everything_

_I'd tell them anything, _

_To show them everything_

_You aint the only ones who wanna live it up,_

_You aint the only ones,_

_You aint the only ones who wanna live it up_

_You aint the only ones_

_Stay awake_

_Get a grip and get out _

_You're safe_

_From the weight of the world_

_Just take_

_A second to set things straight_

_I'll be fine_

_Even though I'm not always right_

_Dedication takes a lifetime _

_But dreams only last for a night_


	5. ominously foreboding eggs

**Sadly, I still don't own MR. I kidnapped Nudge though...she isn't too happy about it. She really likes cafeteria food, though. Nor do I own All Time Low...even sadly-er. Anyone willing to help me kidnap Alex Gaskarth???**

I woke up later than usual, my head still on Iggy's shoulder. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep. The rest of the flock was still asleep, and Max wasn't there, but I figured she'd gone out flying. That didn't actually seem like the worst idea. The ground had frosted overnight, and it was pretty cold. I stood up quietly and unfurled my 12 foot wings. They were white, but tinged with red and gold. I stretched up to my full height, about 5'6". At home (what was home? Did I even have one) I'd always slouched so as to avoid attention being drawn to me. Here, I didn't care.

I launched myself off the ledge, feeling the cold wind in my hair and on my wings. I loved this feeling, and it was nice to actually be able to see where I was going. I had decent night vision, but it was nothing compared to this. This was comparable to heaven, frankly. I was drunk on my own freedom, having been bored with reality for too long. The trees were like stone pillars and I was a dove. I was happy, happier than I had been in a long time. I perched on the branch of a sturdy looking pine tree. My brain was numbed by the blissful freedom and the freezing cold.

"Golden! How are you?" Max asked me. I jumped, if you can jump while you're on a tree branch.

"Oh, hi Max. You surprised me!" I said. "Nice morning, albeit a little cold. What say you?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"It's nice. I like the cold. How did you sleep?"

"Well enough thanks."

We continued making pointless small talk for a while, and then started flying back towards the campsite. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were finding kindling for a campfire, and Fang was starting that fire. Iggy seemed to be preparing some sort of food.

"Hello! How was your fly?" Angel asked. Oh yeah, she was telepathic. "We're making scrambled eggs and wild mushrooms. Oh, and if you want some, we got roast desert rat!"

"I'll pass, I think I'll spare my digestive system today," I replied. "Hey, you need any help? I used to cook a lot, back home,"

"Thanks for offering, but we're just about done," Fang actually said something to me. Wow. I was surprised the world didn't blow up.

"Yeah, the food's done. I hope you don't mind eating using leaves as plates. We don't have access to dishes, as is probably evident," ah, Iggy. He was definitely attractive, with those pretty blue eyes. I've always been a sucker for light blue eyes. And the slightly red blonde hair that fell nicely across his forehead, and the subtly muscular chest and arms... And clearly a good cook, too if the smell was any judge.

"Oooh, yay! I love scrambled eggs, but fried are good too. And Iggy makes really good ones. Eggs are, like, his specialty. When we were back at the E house we actually had a frying pan and could actually cook them. I mean, it's not bad now but-_ppppppmfffffgggggg,"_ Iggy's hand once again covered her mouth. I giggled (wtf? Since when do I giggle) quietly. It really did feel like home. He smiled a _see what I have to put up with every day?_ kind of smile in my direction. My heart flip-flopped. Augh! What was wrong with me?

He started to serve up the eggs. Everyone just dug right in, and I followed their example. Damn, it was good. "I could get used to this," I mumbled through a mouthful of egg.

He winked playfully. "Why, thank you, young lady."

I returned the wink and kept eating. Nudge whispered something to the Gasman and they both laughed quietly. I liked this feeling, which of course meant it had to end soon.


	6. family reunion

**OK, OK... I don't own JP or MR, but I now own Nudge...don't blame me for that bit. She challenged me to...i would tell you about it, but that's straying off topic and we don't want to do that.**

We were eating. I was on to thirds when a taunting, sickly sweet voice interrupted the meal.

"Oh, Golden. It looks like you've found a family at last. Are you finally too good for your old Henrietta anymore? Well, I don't mind. More to kill!" Damnit. Shit shit shit. I look up to the source of the voice. It was her. I thought she'd died. I stared into her perfect face, eternally young and beautiful but terribly haggard at the same time...those hazel eyes identical to mine and claw like hands that had tortured me for the first six years of my life.

"Henrietta? What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, the adrenaline boiling angrily in my blood.

"Getting revenge. Remember when I let you out of the school? I helped you, and in return you ran away. You left me alone forever, to fend for myself. I figured you had it bad enough, but now I find you here. With a family. Happy. Happier than I've ever been, you worthless excuse for a bird-bitch sister," she sneered and lunged for me, followed by an army of erasers.

"Uh, Golden? What the hell is going on?" Iggy asked, part worriedly, part confused, and part angry.

"Personal vendetta! Just fight, please!" I screamed and threw my body into a roundhouse kick. This time, I got Henrietta and Max got the flanking attackers. Roundhouse, right hook, upper cut, left hook, jump kick...I pummeled her viciously, but she had gotten stronger since I'd left the school. She knocked me onto the ground, scratching my side with her cat claw. Even my super light and strong bird-kid bones got that one. I felt something scraping my side, but I couldn't feel any pain. Thank god for adrenaline.

I jumped back up, ready to get her back. She was cocky, knowing she had an advantage. Big mistake, babe. I unfurled my wings and launched myself up. Her thugs tried to grab me, but I darted out of their reach. Flying is a huge advantage in scenes like this.

"Before I get rid of you forever, I just want to tell you that you aren't my sister anymore, and you never will be. I'm sorry you had to turn bad and let me kick your skinny little ass," I seethed, barely keeping my cool. I swooped down on her right as she was clipped by a punch from Iggy. Thank you, blind boy, I thought. I owe ya one. As she fell unconscious, I grabbed her and picked her up, flying toward the Pacific ocean as fast as my wings could carry me. Even though my wings ached from the effort, I made it and upon finding a good rocky beach, dropped her.

Splash! Bye-bye, cat bitch.

I waited for a moment, wistfully letting go of the last remnant of my past. I sat down on the rocky cliff, feeling like an insignificant speck of dust on the giant rock.

"I suppose you owe me an explanation," Iggy said.


	7. explanation

**Sadly, I don't own JP, Max, Igg, Fang, Gazzer, or Angel. But I do sill have Nudge. MUHA HAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAA AAAAAAAAAAAahahahahahah ahahaahahahahahahaha hahahaahhaa.**

"I suppose you owe me an explanation," Iggy said.

Oh god. It felt so good to finally get rid of her. But the adrenaline was gone. Now I was just dealing with the flood of memories, mostly bad, painful ones. He sat down next to me, and my walls broke down in a flood of tears. He held me comfortingly in his surprisingly warm grasp. He smelled like the fire, warm and earthy. I inhaled deeply and began at the beginning, pausing intermittently for sobs.

"Henrietta is my sister. My twin –sob-, actually and a –sob- feline-human hybrid. We were taken together, -sob- and we were-sob- so close. I loved –sob- her. The she abandoned me. She turned bad. My first memory –sob- of her was when I was –sob- 'bout three, and they were giving me shots. Poison, I think, to see how I dealt with it. it –sob- hurt, like –sob-, hell, an' she felt it like it was her own pain. Then –sob- she turned bad. 'Cats eat birds,' she'd –sob- say. I was always sickly, horribly jealous –sob- of her. She –sob- always did everything right. The –sob- scientists even –sob- liked her. She was –sob- cruel, but when we were –sob- six, she managed to get us out of there. I was so glad to finally –sob- get rid of her. I found myself at a –sob- orphanage in Colorado, and –sob- this evil family got me. They –sob- would hit me, and –sob- I'd hit back. They hated –sob- me. They sent me –sob- into foster care when I was –sob- eight, an' I switched around for a few years. I became –sob- rebellious. I pierced my –sob- nose, I hung out in Hot Topic for –sob- hours, and I lied about my –sob- age and went to -sob- sixteen plus concerts just to be a rebel, to forget about my past. I –sob- would drink an' ditch –sob- class all the time. I finally got a grip, but I –sob- never got over Henrietta. I hated her, but –sob- I loved her. I felt so –sob- good when I finally found you guys. I –sob- just wanted to start over. Then –sob- she showed up." It just all poured out. I had to tell someone. "Oh, damnit Iggy. You're hurt. Here, lemme see that," I couldn't help it. His wrist was broken, and he was bleeding like hell from a gash on his arm.

He held me sweetly, understandingly. It was kind of blissful in its sobbing horror.

"I can deal. You don't need to be compassionate. It's alright. She's gone now. You did great, Golden. It's fine. She won't come back. We took care of her minions. Oh my God," he deeply sucked in a breath. "You're bleeding. Bad. We need to get you to a doctor or something. You're hardly fit to heal yourself,"

I looked at my shirt. The purple fabric was dark with blood. Oh, crap. I was not gonna be able to heal it, not until I had more energy.

"Here, Golden. I'll carry you back to the campsite. You get you energy back," he said soothingly and picked me up. I was feeling faint from the loss of blood and his closeness.

"Okay, Iggy," I whispered, and I passed out in his arms.


	8. reflection

**I still don't own JP or anything he owns 'cept for Nudge.**

**This one's in Iggy's POV.**

Wow...she'd given me a lot to think about. It was crazy, but understandable. I could connect to her on a whole new level. I knew that feeling of loss and betrayal, like your life isn't what it was cracked up to be.

This should have probably made me want to stay away from her. But it drew me in, somehow. She could understand, more than Max or Fang, more than Gazzy or Angel, and more than Ella or Nudge. If she lived, that was. I flew faster, knowing she kind of was depending on it. It was painful for me to feel the bloody scratches on her side and her purple tee shirt soaked black with blood. She'd clearly cracked a few ribs and at least sprained, if not broken her ankle. I didn't even care about my broken arm. If she was safe, I was fine.

Why was I so worried? She would heal quickly like the rest of us. But at the same time, with her tall form limp in my arms, I sort of realized how fragile life was.

Her story was alarming. I guess the school was creating more hybrids now...more to watch out for. And her sister...at least I never had any siblings that turned evil, unless Angel counts. It's probably how we felt about Jeb, but on a more personal level.

I approached the campsite and landed softly. "You're back," Fang said quietly. I heard Gazzy snoring and Angel and Nudge breathing heavily. They're asleep. I didn't realize it was nighttime.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"She stopped at a cliff overlooking the Pacific and dropped that cat girl in. Told me her life story too," I said.

"Y'know your girlfriend puts up a pretty good fight," Max added, trying to embarrass me. I rolled my eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend," I protested, but I was blushing all the same.

"Yeah, right. I wonder how Ella will react to this...Oh, God Iggs! She's bleeding!"

"She cracked a few ribs and sprained her ankle too. Should we get help? I mean, she'll be fine in a few days, but clearly the school knows where we are,"

"I think we can risk it. Did you feel how bad it was?"

"It's pretty bad but nothing fatal. I didn't really check, though,"

"There's a stream about a mile away due north if you want to go clean her up and have a moment or two alone," Fang said, smirking.

I glared at him and picked her up, making sure not to hurt her. I unfurled my gold flecked wings and launched myself up. Sure enough, within a minute I heard the overly cheerful sound of a brook. I landed gently, washing my hands in the icily cold water.

I laid her out on the riverbank and pulled off her shirt. It was awkward, but less so since I was blind. It was necessary. I began soaking it in the stream water, hoping that she had extra clothes. Now all she was wearing was a pale blue polka-dotted bra and some ripped up skinny jeans. She felt (I couldn't see her, okay!) pretty damn beautiful, aside from the gaping claw wound in her side.

Muttering softly, I took off my jacket and got it wet. I started cleaning out the wound, which was already scabbing over. Thank god for bird kid genes.

I couldn't imagine how she'd managed to keep fighting and to carry that bitch –Henrietta- with a gash like that. There was definitely going to be a hell of a scar. I took some bandages out of my backpack.

I managed to patch her up decently. The scratch didn't feel half as bad now that I'd cleaned it up; but she would have a scar there for the rest of her life. I surveyed her shirt. It was soaked, and the stain hadn't come out, so I took off mine and put it on her.

I leaned down, inhaling her scent, kind of like cinnamon and spearmint. I planted my lips on hers. It was kind of blissful, hearing her heart beating next to mine.

I pulled away, feeling her open her eyes, and stroked her forehead as if nothing had ever happened.


	9. awwww

**I still don't own Max Ride or the merry flock ****L**** however, I own golden and nudge ****J**** back to golden's pov**

I blinked my eyes open. My side was wrapped in gauze, and I was wearing an unfamiliarly warm shirt that smelled like Iggy. Speaking of Iggy, he was stroking my forehead with his long, cool hand. Aw, man, he wasn't wearing a shirt either.

"Iggy? Where am I? Where's Henrietta? Are you alright? Am I alright? Where's the rest of the –"

"Shh. Everything's fine. We're at a river 'bout a mile away from the campsite. Your side is all cleaned up and I taped up your ribs. You seem to be feeling better," he said and smiled that perfect smile that made my heart flop.

I sat up. I was in a tiny clearing near a rushing stream. I was wearing Iggy's shirt. "I am," I replied, a bit fuzzily but gradually awakening. "Is your wrist better?"

"Not yet, but if you work your magic on it, it will," he smiled, followed by a suggestive wink. I grabbed his wrist and concentrated a moment. I felt the bones go back into place. Luckily, it had been a clean break.

"Be careful next time, you bad little boy." I kissed him on the cheek. I waited to see his reaction, the slightest bit nervous for what it might be.

It was perfect. He kissed me full on the mouth and I kissed him back, passionately and sweetly. His hands slipped around my waist and pulled me in closer. It was paradise. I was lost in his strong arms, our wings drifting out behind us. I could just let go, just enjoy the moment for once in my messed up life.

It was interrupted by a sweet, maniacal giggling from up above us.

"Max and Fang haven't even gotten this far!" Angel's voice floated down from the huge pine tree that's right above us.

Iggy broke away from me and started making threats to Angel under his voice. He opened his huge white gold-flecked wings and flew up into the tree where she was perched, his anger practically spewing from his ears. Her "innocent" eyes were as big as saucers.

"You little girl! What the hell were you doing? You're gonna pay, little devil!"

"Aw, Iggy! I couldn't sleep an' I was just coming down here to get some water from the stream!"

"Okay, Ange. I'll forgive you this once if you don't spill it to Max and Fang,"

"I promise I won't! I'll be a good little girl, I swear!"

He fell for it and dropped off of the tree. "Why the hell are you falling for it? She's playing you, idiot!" I scolded under my breath.

"She made those Bambi eyes! Not even Max can resist them," he explained.

"Yeah, right. I was once the master of Bambi eyes. I know how to resist. You just have to be coldhearted. How can you feel them, anyway?"

"She projects it into my mind, okay!"

"Jeez you guys are softies!" I scolded, but I was smiling.

**OKAY...I'M NOT GOING TO UPDATE AGAIN 'TIL I HAVE 15 REVIEWS...I GOT 47 HITS WITH THE LAST UPDATE SO I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE TOO HARD **** THANKS!!!!**


	10. voice

**Well, today I decided on my theme songs for the flock (and others). I couldn't decide for Angel...haha well I figured 15 reviews was a bit ridiculous (thanks magaferd, chrysanth, aishay, , yreva13, .stomp, and anyone else I forgot. You rock!)**

**Golden: Careful-Paramore**

**Iggy: This is how we do-All Time Low**

**Max: Let the Flames Begin-Paramore**

**Fang: This City is Contagious-The Cab**

**Nudge: Girls do what they Want-The Maine**

**Jeb: A Little Faster-There for Tomorrow**

**Angel:**

**Gazzy: Weightless-All Time Low**

**Anyway...Max POV**

_Maximum?_ Ah, crap; the voice was back. I sucked in a breath quickly. It was late one night, and Gazzy, Nudge and Angel had gone to bed. Golden and Iggy were talking, Golden explaining the colors of the stars that were beginning to emerge in the clear night sky.

Fang was blogging on his computer and I was reading over his shoulder. At my sudden inhalation, he turned around with a fierce, protective look on his perfect face. "Voice?" he asked. I nodded.

Iggy heard too, and I saw his back stiffen. Golden looked up, alarmed. He set his long hand on her shoulder, implying that it wasn't anything serious.

_Max, you need to go to Washington Dc. The government is having troubles, and they need your help. Leave tomorrow morning and you will receive further instructions then_.

"Well, we're going to DC again tomorrow."

The next morning we all woke up, had some eggs prepared by Iggy, and started off. It was a picturesque trip, spanning everything from evergreen forests to harsh deserts to suburban towns. It felt incredible to see everything that normal people consider to be their whole life flashing by below you in seconds.

We'd just been flying for a few hours, not talking or anything. We were in a defensive position (Fang and Iggy on either side of me, Golden and Gazzy below, and Nudge and Angel above) in case any attackers chose to attack us, but it was unnecessary. It was a lazy afternoon in late August, and the sun even made me a bit drowsy. Fang smiled his heart-stopping smile at me, and I grinned back, swooping cockily in the air.

"Max? I'm getting hungry. Can we get some food soon?" Gazzy's voice floated up toward me.

"Sure, Gaz,"

"You know, we're right over Arizona, near your Mom's. I could go for some cookies," Iggy said.

I looked down, and sure enough, there was the spot where I had saved Ella that day. It seemed like so long ago. But how did the blind kid know?

"Um, yeah. I doubt she'll mind if we just barge in at three PM on a random day, begging her for cookies. It's worth a shot," I shrugged, swooping downward. "And Iggy? How did you know where we were?"

"Dunno," he replied. Crap, not another mutation on my hands. I forced it out of my mind.

We landed, and I did a quick head count to make sure everyone was fine. We were a motley bunch; our clothes practically died a rusty red from blood. We walked through the suburban town, full of quaint little ranch houses and little kids on bikes. It made me feel nostalgic; made me remember that I had never had a normal childhood. Golden was lost in her thoughts, probably remembering her 'normal' youth. She had come clean completely about her past, and I empathized. I understood how betrayal felt. Ari and Jeb had taught me that fair and square.

"Here we are," I said, and knocked tentatively on the door. It was a nice house, and I could only imagine how we looked, a group of kids in crappy, bloodstained clothes standing outside of a nice suburban home.

My mom answered the door. I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could, she enveloped me in a huge, motherly hug. I'm no softie, but I'll admit that I may have leaked a few tears.

"Max! You're here! Hi Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and you must be Golden. I've read about you on Fang's blog. Oh, please come in!"

Oh, it felt so good to be here. It was the only place I'd ever felt normal. We all walked into the vaguely southwestern-themed house. The walls were painted a pale gold and the décor was sparse, mostly old, worn down wood or leather.

"How're you?" Mom asked. "I just fished baking some cookies, so I'll get those out of the oven. Oh, God, you need new clothes. I'll see what I can find,"

"Sounds great, Mom." She pulled some cookies (hell yes) out of the oven and set them on the coffee table in their living room. We all crowded around and grabbed some, stuffing our faces with the rich, sugary goodness as she ran upstairs to try to find some clothes.

"Well, I have clothes enough for Max and Golden, and Ella could spare some for Nudge, but I don't know about the boys and Angel." She looked at her watch, and continued. "Well, Ella should be home from school any minute, and I'll take you shopping," **{A/N: Sorry, couldn't help inflicting a little cliché Max-torture. I know, I'm facepalming too}**

Seriously? That hardly seemed fair. I hated malls. They reeked like designer perfume and preppy girls who only cared about their fingernails.

"OMG yes! I totally need new shoes and stuff! Thanks, Dr. Martinez!" Go Nudge, you just lowered my chances of escaping from 1 to zero. Huzzah...


	11. slightly fluffy filler :

**Well, I don't own anything JP invented except for Nudge...illegitimately...blah**

**Anyway, this is just filler stuff 'cuz I had writer's block. Fun stuff coming next chappie **

**Reviews???**

**Golden POV**

Six hours, fourteen hamburgers, and a few hundred dollars later, we were all showered, clothed and fed. I actually knew what everyone looked like now.

Nudge had tried to convince me to buy a corset top from Hot Topic, just to see Iggy's reaction when Angel projected me wearing it into his mind, but I declined. I ended up with a secondhand guitar and case, a few pairs of jeans, new converse, combat boots, a few tees, a windbreaker, some makeup (blame Nudge...I didn't want it, but I wasn't as opposed to it as Max), a haircut and underneath it all, (shudder) a lacy blue bra and underwear, again thanks to Nudge.

Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy and I were sitting in Dr. Martinez's guest bedroom. Nudge, Angel, and Ella were hanging out in Ella's room. We were all wearing new clothes with new haircuts, and we looked pretty damn good if I did say so myself.

Max wore a pair of light wash skinny jeans that highlighted her legs and a tight olive green tee shirt. She'd gotten her hair cut in a short, feathery bob that kept it off of her face and highlighted her fierce chocolate brown eyes. Fang wore black...duh...a black Nirvana tee and black semi skinny jeans. His black hair was cut about chin length in a classically 'emo' style. Gazzy wore a bomber jacket and loose jeans, with his hair buzzed. He looked very...him, very cute aggressive little pyromaniac. Iggy looked perfect in dark wash semi skinny jeans and a black and red flannel button down shirt. His hair was layered slightly so it fell across his face effortlessly and showed off his one pierced ear. They had trimmed my hair and layered it harshly, the shortest layers hitting at my earlobes. I had gotten my septum pierced a few months ago, and found a simple ring for cheap. I wore a gray burnout shirt with a menswear vest and dark, supper skinny jeans.

"We should get going early tomorrow. I would like to get to DC as soon as possible," Max said. Nobody really paid attention, though. Fang was on his computer, I was playing with the new guitar, Iggy and Gazzy were whispering back and forth, and Max was just kind of sitting there in a leader-ish way, planning or something. I felt like a really normal person...and that was saying something.

Fang shrugged. "Sure. Why wouldn't we?" he replied.

"True. Do you think we can make it to DC in one day?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's a twelve hour flight no breaks, so that makes for about 18 hours with breaks. We can do it,"

"Well, then we'll leave early tomorrow. I'll go tell Nudge and Angel to get ready and go to bed. You guys should too. We're in for a long flight tomorrow."

We settled on the floor and the bed. Nudge and Angel slept in Ella's room, and we divided up the room.

Gazzy, being the smallest, ended up in the small twin bed, while the rest of us were forced to fend for ourselves on the floor. Max laid right beside the bed, and Fang right beside her. Iggy stretched out on the other side of the bed, and I curled up next to him. I fell asleep holding his hand.


	12. ominously foreboding cookies

**I do not own Maximum Ride... Nudge is mine, as is Golden, as is...everything else I own. Give me a break, will ya?**

**I love anyone who reviews and I will give you virtual cookies and emo piñatas...YAY!!!!!**

We left early the next morning. Max left a note for Dr. Martinez and Ella, we filled our bags with cookies and clothes, and we were off.

I can't adequately describe how it feels to fly, especially with the early morning wind behind you and the world waking up below you. You just let go of everything and let your heart swell with the breeze. Your brain just shuts down and you feel invincible, like nothing bad could happen.

I needed to get out of my own mind. Doesn't everybody? This was just what I needed to clear my brain, to escape the memories that Dr. Martinez's house brought on.

"How do you feel?" Iggy asked, smiling in my direction. "Never better," I grinned and dove down, wings in, before spreading them out to catch an air current. It's just about the best adrenaline rush you can ever hope for.

"It's a lovely morning, made even lovelier by you,"

"Wow...you've sunk down to the corniest level of all. I'm impressed,"

We continued to argue pointlessly about pickup lines for a while, forgetting all of the troubles that come with being a bird kid. That is, we argued pointlessly about pickup lines until those troubles came and confronted us right in the face.

We were somewhere above Idaho. An army of M-geeks flew ominously toward us. Well, so much for feeling free.

"Iggy, Fang, flank me on either side! Nudge, Golden below! Gazzy, Angel, above! Now!" Max commanded. We swooped into formation and prepared ourselves for the attack.

It wasn't anything much, just a quick fight to leave us bruised and tired. Annoying, but nothing we couldn't handle. I healed them up and we stopped down for some food and rest.

"Well, only about 8 hours to go. We're doing great," Max said. We nodded in agreement, still lost in the cookies. "We should get going again soon. I want to get there before it gets too dark."

We left quickly and resumed our trip, this time flying in formation just in case. Sure enough, another attack came pretty soon, and another. It wasn't tough competition, but what with fighting myself and healing the others, my eyelids were at half mast by the time we were passing over Chicago.

"You alright?" Iggy asked; his melodic voice concerned. "I'm fine. Just a little tired," I replied, trying to sound cheerful.

"No, you aren't. I can hear it in your voice,"

"Honestly, Iggy, I'm fine. Healing just takes a lot of energy out of me, that's all,"

"If you say so," he clucked. Mother hen much?

_Please, no more attacks_, I pleaded mentally. No such luck. Just as we were approaching the capitol building, right around midnight, another volley of M-Geeks came, and they looked angry. Thank god for adrenaline...

We all fought as best as we could in the current circumstances, but it was to no avail. I heard a metallic clank near my head and then everything was black...

**Okay...I've been holding out. The real action starts next chappie, mkay!**

**Btw that little green button is just waiting to be clicked...............................**


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